Jakarta or Malacca?

Neither city is for swimming. Jakarta's bay is polluted and Malacca's strait is brown, busy with shipping and visited by jellyfish.

Jakarta has the better escape, though: a speedboat from Ancol reaches the white sand and snorkelling reefs of the Thousand Islands, best done as an overnight trip. From Malacca, the nearest sand is at Tanjung Bidara or Port Dickson, and neither has clear water, so a hotel pool is the realistic option.

Both are serious eating cities, but Jakarta has more range. Padang, Manadonese, Sundanese and Betawi cooking all share its streets. Late-night carts serve satay and martabak, and Menteng has polished modern Indonesian restaurants at the top end.

Malacca goes deep rather than wide. Its Nyonya dishes, chicken rice balls, satay celup and Kristang devil's curry are distinctive, and the kopitiams around Heeren Street are a pleasure. Beyond its own cuisine there is little choice and almost no fine dining.

Malacca is the more rewarding city for sightseeing because everything is together. Dutch Square, the church ruin on St Paul's Hill, the Peranakan townhouses of Heeren Street and the temples and mosque of Harmony Street sit within a few walkable streets.

Jakarta has the bigger single collection in the National Museum, plus Kota Tua and the schooners at Sunda Kelapa. These sights are scattered across a huge city, though, and give two or three good days rather than a sense of place.

This is where the two differ most. Jakarta is known across the region for late nights, with big clubs and international DJs in SCBD and Senopati, an expat bar strip in Kemang and cheap, rowdy bars in Blok M. You will need taxis between them, and things quieten during Ramadan.

In Malacca, an evening means the weekend night market, a beer by the lit-up river and the noise of decorated trishaws. There are no clubs, and on weeknights the centre goes quiet early.

Both cities are flat, hot and built up, so nature means a trip out. From Jakarta, that trip is to the volcanic highlands: the tea slopes of Puncak and the rainforest trails of Gunung Gede Pangrango, often a long drive in traffic. The coral of the Thousand Islands lies offshore.

Malacca's outdoors are gentler and closer, with river walks, mangrove paths and the island of Pulau Besar. Its one proper climb is Gunung Ledang, across the Johor border.

Jakarta has the better outings. The commuter train reaches Bogor's colonial Botanical Gardens in about an hour, and the high-speed railway puts cool, Art Deco Bandung within easy reach. The sultanate ruins at Banten Lama add history.

Malacca's options mostly need a car or bus. These include the riverside town of Muar, the Minangkabau roofs of Negeri Sembilan, and Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, which make a long day and deserve a stay of their own.

Both welcome children warmly, and both are hard work in the heat. Jakarta has more to do: a theme park, aquarium and water parks at Ancol, the leafy Ragunan Zoo, Taman Mini and malls with indoor play areas. The traffic, poor air and missing pavements make every outing slow.

Malacca is easier to manage, with trishaw rides, a short river cruise and the zoo and water parks at Ayer Keroh. Weekend crowds in the old town are the main nuisance.

Malacca is easier because its heritage core is small enough to walk, with the riverside path linking the main sights. A bicycle works well early in the morning. Beyond the centre, there is no metro and the buses are slow, so ride-hailing fills the gaps.

Jakarta has a metro and dedicated busways, but they cover only parts of a huge city. Most trips mean app-booked cars or motorbike taxis, and in the rush hour or rain a short distance can take an hour.

Jakarta is the shopping city of the two. It has luxury malls around the Hotel Indonesia roundabout and in Senayan, fabric and Muslim fashion at Tanah Abang, and electronics in Mangga Dua. Batik ranges from piled-up wholesale stalls to fine hand-drawn work. The Jalan Surabaya flea market sells antiques.

Malacca's shopping fits into Jonker Street and the lanes around it. Look for old porcelain and clocks, beaded slippers and kebaya blouses, plus cheap souvenirs at the weekend market. There is no luxury or design scene.

Both are cheap, and in both alcohol is heavily taxed. Jakarta's best value is in its hotels: a large business hotel with a pool costs little. Costs rise only in the stylish restaurants and rooftop bars of the business districts.

In Malacca, the bargains are hawker meals and restored shophouse guesthouses. The catch is timing: weekends and Malaysian school vacations fill the old-town hotels, so midweek stays are better value.

Jakarta has far more on. Touring concerts come through, the Java Jazz Festival fills a convention centre, Taman Ismail Marzuki stages theatre and dance, and live bands play in the south of the city. Traditional wayang and gamelan, however, appear only now and then.

In Malacca, the live performance is one well-produced staged history spectacle for visitors. Beyond that, there are dondang sayang verses, Kristang branyo dancing at the Festa San Pedro and buskers on Jonker Street.

Jakarta offers the richer treatments. Javanese pijat massage, the turmeric lulur scrub and creambath are cheap and widely available, from neighbourhood salons to grand hotel spas. Calm in the city itself, though, means staying indoors.

Malacca has fewer treatments, mostly reflexology shops and resort spas. Its quiet weekday mornings and slow kopitiam breakfasts give a gentler pace, but only if you avoid the noisy weekends.